Yuletide 2021: Hearth and Home Now at the Farm House Museum
AMES IOWA – November 3, 2021 – The Farm House Museum, located at 601 Farm House Lane in Ames, Iowa on the campus of Iowa State University, is now decorated for a Victorian Yuletide. The exhibition Yuletide 2021: Hearth and Home will last through Wednesday, December 15, 2021.
 
The Victorian Era popularized some of the most treasured holiday traditions - stockings hung by the fire, decorated trees, gift-giving, holiday cards, feasts of seasonal foods, and caroling. In the Victorian Era on Iowa State’s campus, these seasonal activities took place in the home. The Farm House Museum, at 160 years old, hosted many gatherings during the holidays spreading goodwill and cheer among the students, faculty and staff. This year’s Yuletide exhibition will feature stockings hung by the fire, first popularized in 1870s Victorian Europe, holiday décor, and the scents and sounds of the season.
“I’m excited for the feather tree to be back out on display!” said Farm House Museum intern Kylea Mosley. “It’s such a different type of Christmas tree than what most people are used to seeing, and it’s such a fun Victorian era decoration.”
 
On Friday, December 3 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., the Farm House Museum interns will host the event Yuletide Evening at the Farm House Museum as a part of WinterFest at Iowa State University. Activities, crafts, and treats with a Victorian Yuletide theme are part of this event. A horse-drawn carriage will take passengers around campus as a part of WinterFest, and the Farm House Museum is one of the stops.

“Yuletide 2021 gives University Museums the opportunity to reinstate (after a year off during the pandemic) a long-standing tradition of decorating and celebrating the merriment of the season at the historic Farm House Museum,” said Allison Sheridan, Farm House Museum curator.
The Farm House Museum will host an additional Yuletide celebration on Saturday, December 4 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Victorian yuletide-themed crafts and holiday treats will be provided. Tours of the historic home will be offered throughout the afternoon. There will also be a chance to meet and take photos with Santa.
 
Yuletide at the Farm House Museum is one of the oldest and most popular events offered to the public by University Museums. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, University Museums cancelled the event in 2020, but the staff and interns of the department are eager to see the event return this year. Mosley added, “It’s great to be able to share Yuletide at the Farm House with the public again after not having it last year due to the semester ending before the holidays.”
 
Iowa State University encourages, but does not require, all on-campus visitors to wear a mask in indoor spaces when around others. Hand sanitizer will be provided by the Farm House Museum for all guests. Holiday decorations, exhibition and program support for Yuletide 2021: Hearth and Home at the Farm House Museum is provided by Carol Pletcher.
 
On December 17, the Farm House Museum will close for semester break will reopen on Tuesday, January 18, 2022.  
The Farm House Museum is the oldest building on Iowa State University’s campus. Originally constructed in 1860, the Farm House Museum first served the school as a living quarters for various students, Iowa State Deans, professors and farmhands. In the 1970s a six-year restoration of the Farm House Museum revitalized the space into a public museum. Today, the Farm House Museum, an affiliate of University Museums at Iowa State University, serves the public and student body of Iowa State by displaying numerous antiques, with a particular emphasis on the beginning of the 20th century. Visit museums.iastate.edu to learn more.
University Museums is a distinctive organization that encompasses two art museums, a National Historic Landmark historic home museum, a sculpture garden, and one of the largest campus public art collections in the nation. University Museums brings world-class exhibitions with educational programming to Iowa State University actively acquires works of art to add to the more than 30,000 permanent collection objects, conserves and preserves collections, conducts and publishes curatorial scholarship, and fosters student engagement. Visit musuems.iastate.edu to learn more.
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